Friday, May 1, 2009

Friday Food #9

I have a confession to make: I love going to the grocery store. I’m sure that sounds strange to many of you who dread this task, but this really is one of the items on my to-do list that I actually look forward to. I love leisurely walking up and down the aisles, looking for new products and reading labels (shocker, right?) and thinking of new recipes that I can try. Unfortunately, when I go grocery shopping with three children, there is nothing leisurely about it, so I guess I should qualify my first statement—I love going to the grocery store BY MYSELF. Because Patrick doesn’t get home from work until very late at night, I rarely have the chance to actually go by myself, but when I do, even if all I need is some soymilk and cantaloupe, expect me to be gone for at least 90 minutes. I think Patrick used to be worried when what he thought should be a 20 minute roundtrip at the grocery store turned into 2 hours (I seem to recall a very stressed out husband ready to call the police a couple times in our first year of marriage), but after almost 10 years together, I don’t think it even phases him anymore!

Recently, I was surprised to see that Dora is now supporting the edamame industry! I’m glad to see kid-friendly characters selling something healthy for a change, instead of sugary cereals and fruit snacks!

But when I saw this tasty little treat, I laughed all the way through the frozen food section. Seriously? Those of you with dogs, have you ever tried these?

Anyway, the point of this post is that while I’m sure most of you do not share my love for grocery stores, when you have the time, take the opportunity to browse a little instead of just grabbing the things on your list and getting the heck outta there. Food manufacturers are constantly coming up with new products that just might become some of your favorites if you were to seek them out. Remember when whole wheat pasta first came out? There was just one kind and it didn’t really taste that great. Well now there are all sorts of whole grain pasta variations, some with omega-3’s, added protein, multigrain, etc. and I like most of them better than that regular old pasta that is SOOOOO last century! Be daring and try something new. And if you do find a new product that you love, please share it with me in case I haven’t tried it yet!

I SHOULD take time to browse more and find some new treasures. Every time I go to Trader Joe's w/o kids I find something great. Also, we love the Dora edamame packets - my kids actually call edamame 'Dora beans.' It's kind of scary how much they're influenced by cartoon characters!

I just tried a soy based product by Nasoya called Silken Creations. It comes in vanilla, strawberry and dark chocolate. It is completely dairy free (good for me since my baby is allergic to dairy). It can be used in smoothies or desserts or even tastes great all by itself (like pudding)! Also there is a product called So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk. It tastes like yogurt and comes in a bunch of different flavors. I figure it is a good way to get more fat into my baby's diet since he can't drink whole milk as a 1 year-old. See what you think...http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/Coconut_Milk_Yogurt_Reviews.html